Game apparatus.



PATENTED DEC. 22, 1903.

E. SANDSTROM. GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DBO.18. 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented December 22, 1903.

EDWARD SANDSTROM, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,646, dated December 22, 1903.

Application filed December 18, 1902. Serial No. 135,672. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD SANDSTROM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain Improvement in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in game apparatus, and has for its object to provide a device whereby a marble may be shot or rolled without the necessity of stooping or projecting the marble with the hand; and a further object of my invention is to provide a device of this description which may be sold at acomparatively small cost, but will answer all the requirements and can be used with as much skill as though the marble was projected with the hand.

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will now be described in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my de-' vice, showing the same in operation. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the device.

In playing the game of marbles it is a wellknown fact that it is necessary for the player to kneel and project the marble with the hand and in doing this the players knees, by coming in contact with the ground, causes wear upon the trousers or stockings, and the hand by coming in contact with the ground occasionally also becomes much soiled upon the knnckles.- With my device the player may stand upright and project the marble without touching the same with the hands.

In the drawings, A represents a staff which may be made any length desired and of any light material, such as wood. The upper end of the staff is provided with a handle B.

O is a rod extending parallel with the staff A, and this rod is guided in bearings D and E, extending outward from the staif. The upper end of this rod 0 is reduced where it passes through the bearing E,and a coil-spring F is interposed between the shoulder 0 upon the rod and the bearing E, thus tending to always force the rod C downward.

G is a spring-lever pivoted at G to cars extending outward from the stafi. The lower end of this lever G is widened, as indicated at G and this lower widened end is adapted to contact the marble. A spring H is interposed between the staff and the lower end of the lever G, tending to always force the lower end of the lever outward when the parts are in their normal position. The lower end of the rod 0 lies behind the upper 'end of the lever G, thus holding the lower end of the lever G back in close contact with the stafi, the spring H being compressed by pulling upward upon the rod 0 until the lower end of the rod is above the upper end of the lever G. The spring H will be allowed to act to throw the lower end of the lever forcibly outward, and this lower end of the lever striking the marble will project the marble forward.

For the purpose of pulling upward upon the rod 0 by a slight pressure of the thumb I provide a leverI at the upper end of the staff, which is fulcrumed to the staff atthe. point I and is pivoted to the upper end of the rod 0 at the point 1 so that by pressing inward upon the lever I the rod 0 will be raised a sufficient distance to disengage it from the lever G, and the upper end of the lever G by being forced backward will lie directly under the rod 0 and prevent the same from returning to its normal position; but by pressing inward upon the lower end of the lever G the upper end of the lever will be forced outward, and the rod 0 will snap behind this upper end, and so set the lever for operation.

In playing the game of marbles it is desirable to project the marble at difierent times at different speeds. This can be done with my apparatus by placing the lower end of the same at different distances from the marble.- Thus if the lower end of the apparatus is placed so that the marble is in close contact with the lever G when the lever is released the marble will be projected forward at the greatest speed; but if the device is placed at a distance from the marble it will only receive an impetus proportionate with the distance the apparatus is placed from the marble; but it is obvious that it will take considerable experience and practice for the player to sight just how far the lower end of the lever G would extend from the stafi when said lever is released, and therefore the player might place the apparatus so that the lever would not touch the marble at all. Therefore to aid the player in setting the apparatus I extend the bearings D and E outward and in the upper end of the bearing E, I form a notch E, and in the outer end of the bearing D, I form a point D, so that the player may sight along the two bearings, and thus ascertain the position the lower end of the lever would assume when it is released.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction here shown, as slight modifications could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- In a device of the character described, a

staff, a handle formed upon the upper end of the stafi, a lever pi votedintermediate of these two ends to the lower end of the staif, the lower end of the lever being flattened and broadened, a spring interposed between the staif and the lower end of the lever tending to throw the lower end of the lever outward, a rod extending upward parallel with the staff, bearings through which said rod slides, the lower end of the rod adapted to normally lie behind the upper end of the lever, a spring tending to force the rod downward, a lever arranged at the upper end of the staflf adapted to raise the rod when said lever is manipulated, the sights extending outward from the staff, as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the'presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD SANDSTROM.

Witnesses:

MARY E. HAMER, L. W. MORRISON. 

